The Negroni Sbagliato is made with sweet vermouth.Sign up for our newsletter to receive the latest tips, tricks, recipes and more, sent twice a week.All featured products are curated independently by our editors. Nobody is expecting a sit-down dinner, so stick to a small selection of light appetizers. The options at our local Costco are listed below: Croissant Sandwich Platter (serves 16-20): $32.99 Chicken & Swiss Rollers (serves 20-24): $32.99 Shrimp Platter (serves 20-24): $39.99 Meat & Cheese Platter (serves 16-20): $26.99 DIY food bars. A little sparkle spread throughout the room as well, via tea lights, takes five minutes and just a few pennies but ups the celebration factor tenfold.Fresh flowers for the party space is a must, and they don’t need to be exotic blooms. See more,Apartment Therapy. You’ll still have to stir. It’s not as tacky as it sounds. Get our.Skip the gin and reach for the sweet vermouth. (Accessed 12/3/09)http://www.marthastewart.com/cocktail-hour-index,Top 10 International Holiday Food Traditions,Information about the device's operating system,Information about other identifiers assigned to the device,The IP address from which the device accesses a client's website or mobile application,Information about the user's activity on that device, including web pages and mobile apps visited or used,Information about the geographic location of the device when it accesses a website or mobile application. We love this rich, creamy stout, made with chocolate malt and organic cocoa powder, perfect with our decadent frozen custard. You consent to our cookies if you continue to use our website.By planning ahead and selecting ingredients that can be used in multiple drinks and snacks, you can save money on your next cocktail party. Punch can be a good bet if you're working on a tight budget, too. "Affordable Cocktail Party Basics to Keep on Hand." Also, depending on the recipe, you can use relatively inexpensive ingredients. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that you’ve provided to them or that they’ve collected from your use of their services. Amari are fabulous with coffee, so you can also serve cold brew with amaro floats—simple to serve, beautiful on the palate, and complex enough to impress (and easy on the budget, so you won’t be stressed about throwing the cocktail party of the year). Here are two choices, squared off or rounded, both clocking in under a dollar:A stack of small square plates also works (and stores) well:Trays can make more surfaces in small spaces usable for setting down a drink:White or rainbow cloth napkins can be used over and over again:From our cooking site, The Kitchn, here is the last word on a well-stocked (and well-priced) bar from a panel of experts.A pitcher drink is always a smart way to go, too. And, while you want an air of swank to be part of the gathering, you definitely don’t need to bust your (always stretched to the limit at the holidays) budget to do so. Make.For a sophisticated exploration, throw a craft vermouth party. Spare glasses stack up easily in their boxes in a high kitchen cabinet — you’ll know where they are when you need them but they don’t need to take up room in cabinet or closet areas that you access everyday.Basic wine glasses at less than $1 per piece:Classic barware sizes with a chic, thin walled profile and bargain pricing:You are definitely going to want to hit the “off” switch on any overhead lighting at a cocktail party and rely on the table or floor lamps to give your space a more intimate, festive feel. Honeydew Sake Sorbet! "Party Planning Guide." You can go local, national, or international. Alpha Books. Encourage Guests to BYOB. 2005.Martha Stewart. "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Entertaining." It makes a narrower range of liquor go a long way and makes the gathering more of an “event” by offering up a signature drink for the evening, taking it out of the realm of the usual beverage choices that are accessible year-round.…or a signature cocktail, both served by the pitcher:I recently received a record player for my birthday, so we’re going old school at our apartment these days.